early film

Abel Gance was an actor in the early 1900s, and later became a director.  He made several films throughout his career, but only a few were taken seriously.  He had a reputation for being an extreme experimentalist, and many of his techniques would become staples in the industry.  His epic film Napoleon is his most notable accomplishment, considered a complete compilation of silent movie techniques, new and old.  He employed  close-ups and tracking shots (sometimes he mounted cameras onto horses or swings), and even shot some scenes in color, though these were omitted from the final version because he felt it might distract the audience.  It would be at least a decade before color films rose to popularity.  The most incredible feature about Napoleon was the way it was projected.  He created a panoramic view by using three screens and three projectors to show the film.  This technique would become extremely popular during the 1950s.
As a magician, Georges Melies was interested in special effects and camera tricks.  He liked to make objects appear and disappear, transform and morph.  Aside from pioneering many special effect techniques, Melies was the first to film fiction, rather than simply capture real life.  He is credited with the discovery of slow motion, fade-out and double exposure, among others that are standard in film today.  Something I found interesting was that by 1915, competition in the industry he had created destroyed his company and film career until 1930, when his films unexpectedly came into the light again, and he was given due credit for his work.